In the final game of Wild Card Weekend, the Los Angeles Rams will “host” the Minnesota Vikings in the league’s first-ever neutral-site playoff game outside of the Super Bowl. In the wake of the devastating California wildfires, this game was moved to Arizona, and will be played at State Farm Stadium, home of the NFC West-rival Arizona Cardinals.
The Rams are the division champions, and would have had the home-field edge in this game despite the fact that Minnesota finished the season with the NFC’s — and NFL’s — second-best record at 14-3. The Rams started the season just 1-4, but after returning from their bye, they ripped off a 9-3 season-finishing stretch that included a win over these Vikings.
Minnesota claimed the No. 5 seed despite finishing just behind the Lions for the league’s best record, and has to go on the road here in attempt to advance to the next round. The Vikings looked like world-beaters for most of 2024, but are coming off one of their worst games of the season in the de facto NFC North title game.
Which of these teams will advance to take on the Eagles next week? We’ll find out soon enough. Before we break down the matchup, here’s a look at how you can watch the game.
Rams vs. Vikings where to watch
Date: Monday, Jan. 13 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
TV: ABC/ESPN | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Betting odds: Vikings -2.5, O/U 48 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
When the Vikings have the ball
Minnesota is coming off arguably its worst offensive performance of the season. One of the other worst performances came back in Week 8 vs. L.A. The Vikes ran for only 64 yards in that game, with Aaron Jones averaging just north of 3 yards per carry. Sam Darnold actually fared pretty well, averaging almost 10 yards per attempt with two touchdowns and no interceptions. But he took three sacks and didn’t create…
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